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Standing on the banks of the Blougat Spruit in Mogale City, a foul, overwhelming smell lingers at the back of one\u2019s throat. The gushing water is murky and foams. There is no sign of life, not even birdsong.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is disgusting and heartbreaking to see what has happened to ecosystems that once had so much life,\u201d says Trevor Brough, a water activist and director of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site Association.<\/p>\n
Read:
Sewage is wrecking South Africa\u2019s Cradle of Humankind, Ramaphosa says
Uncontrolled sewage damaging SA\u2019s World Heritage Sites
Gauteng municipality pumping raw sewage into rivers in the Cradle of Humankind<\/p>\n
One of the main culprits is the Percy Stewart Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW), which has been releasing raw and poorly processed sewage for years into the Blougat Spruit, already impacted by mining, industrial and agricultural runoff.<\/p>\n
Brough has been vigorously monitoring the polluted water source for years. He says \u201cnot only are rivers hurting surrounding communities, ecosystems and tourism, contaminated irrigation water poses a growing food safety risk\u201d.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC)\u00a0inquiry into the Gauteng water crisis, Brough said farmers using river water for irrigation face significant risks, with E.coli and toxins potentially contaminating the soil.<\/p>\n
Trevor Brough, a local water activist, holds the water sample he collected from where the Percy Stewart WWTW discharges into the Blougat Spruit. Image: Ihsaan Haffejee\/GroundUp<\/p>\n
Mariette Liefferink, of the Federation for a Sustainable Environment, told the SAHRC that regional ecosystems are in a state of \u201cdisaster\u201d due to sewage from dysfunctional wastewater treatment works and acid mine drainage from the area\u2019s \u201ccrude legacy\u201d of mining.<\/p>\n
The Munsieville sewage pump station, bordering the Blougat Municipal Nature Reserve, had been totally dysfunctional for years, flooding the surrounding areas with raw sewage.<\/p>\n
Gertrude Ndlovu, who lives nearby, told us she became used to living by \u201ca river of poo\u201d.<\/p>\n
Gertrude Ndlovu, a resident of Munsieville, lives next to the sewage pump station and has had to deal with massive sewage spills in recent times. But the refurbishment of the sewage pump station in Munsieville has brought some relief. Image: Ihsaan Haffejee\/GroundUp<\/p>\n
The pump station, which feeds the Percy Stewart WWTW, was recently refurbished. Residents say they have not experienced spillages over the past two months.<\/p>\n
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A 2024 water resources status report by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research identified the Percy Stewart WWTW as a primary threat to the Cradle of Humankind site.<\/p>\n
Assessments by the Department of Water and Sanitation between 2021 and 2024 defined the plant as being in a critical state, scoring 30%. It issued a regulatory notice, requiring the municipality to fix the plant and be fully compliant by mid-2027.<\/p>\n
Mogale City spokesperson Adrian Amod said \u201csignificant progress\u201d has been made.<\/p>\n
It \u201cis fully operational and is no longer discharging raw sewage into the surrounding river system as in the past\u201d.<\/p>\n
Tests tell another story<\/p>\n
When GroundUp revisited the site, there were noticeable refurbishments with machinery that was idle now working. There were more people on site, and security had been beefed up.<\/p>\n
Using WaterCAN\u2019s citizen water testing kit, the results that Brough took on our visit to the works\u2019s foaming outlet into the Blougat Spruit remain concerning.<\/p>\n
The petrifilm test showed blue\/black spots, indicating the water is not safe to drink and should be regarded as having high levels of E. coli present, a harmful bacteria found in faeces.<\/p>\n
Red spots indicated the presence of coliform bacteria. The aqua screen test turned black, showing that unsafe \u201cbacteria-like faecal coliform\u201d was present.<\/p>\n
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Although less solids may be discharged, the dangers are still there. In its recent Green Drop assessment, the municipality received 0% for both microbiological and chemical compliance.<\/p>\n
The sewage pump station in Munsieville, which was broken and spilling raw sewage into the community, is now working. Image: Ihsaan Haffejee\/GroundUp<\/p>\n
Amod said \u201cdisinfection challenges\u201d were \u201cbeing addressed\u201d through the commissioning of a chlorination system at the final phase of treatment.<\/p>\n
David Omole, WWTW expert and associate professor of water engineering at Wits University, explained that when a chlorination system is not fully functional, you are \u201clikely to have living organisms discharged into the environment\u201d that spread at a rapid rate.<\/p>\n
While some harmful bacteria are killed off in the earlier stages, \u201cwithout that chlorination system, there is no assurance\u201d.<\/p>\n
Polluted water flows through the storm water canals in Krugersdorp. Image: Ihsaan Haffejee\/GroundUp<\/p>\n
Troubled turnaround plan<\/p>\n
Back in 2008, when the Percy Stewart plant was repeatedly failing to meet wastewater discharge standards, Mogale City appointed engineers to assess it. They recommended expanding the plant to accommodate growing sewage flows from Krugersdorp\u2019s northern suburbs.<\/p>\n
A Municipal Infrastructure Grant-funded expansion, initially estimated at about R94 million, was later revised to R107 million in 2019.<\/p>\n
However, poor performance persisted due to a lack of maintenance, the loss of technical skills and operational expertise, and widespread theft and vandalism.<\/p>\n
A Water Services Infrastructure Grant of R35 million was disbursed for phased refurbishment between 2021 and 2023.<\/p>\n
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According to Amod, \u201ccoordinated incidents of theft and vandalism\u201d cost R48 million and \u201creversed\u201d progress.<\/p>\n
The blocked culverts of the Blougat Spruit. Image: Ihsaan Haffejee\/GroundUp<\/p>\n
Refurbishment resumed in 2024 after specialist contractors and security were deployed.<\/p>\n
Amod said more process controllers, engineers and support staff were appointed.<\/p>\n
He said sludge management remains a challenge, while illegal dumping and prohibited waste continue to affect the plant.<\/p>\n
The municipality is building an access control facility to curb illegal discharges, and plans further upgrades, including refurbishing more treatment units, commissioning a chlorination system, and installing monitoring and automation systems.<\/p>\n
Amod said the plant is expected to meet licence standards by the end of the 2026\/27 financial year.<\/p>\n
But Brough says: \u201cThey can say whatever about how many millions are spent on refurbishments to the plant, but if it is still discharging this quality of water, that money means nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The dark, foaming water of the Blougat Spruit just downstream from the Percy Stewart WWTW. Image: Ihsaan Haffejee\/GroundUp<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 GroundUp. This article was first published here.<\/p>\n
#Mogale #City #polluting #Cradle #Mankind<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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